Background Info
After all of the media attention that came from the fallout of the Special Identity, Vincent Zhao buckled down and started working on his next film. Wu Dang was a film that focused on hand-to hand combat while also implementing a treasure hunting backstory. It also featured Fan Siu-wong, Mini Yang, Jiao Hu, and To Yu-Huang, ensuring that there would be a considerable amount of starpower behind the film. Would the unique story and strong cast keep Wu Dan from being just another basic action film?
Story/Characters
The story behind Wu Dang is simple, yet complicated at the same time. Let me explain. The overarching story has to do with a man that is on the search for seven magical treasures that are hidden on Wu Dang Mountain. During this time, a tournament is also being held for fighters around the world, which his daughter is participating in. Mix in a couple “love story” elements, and you can quickly see how this movie tackles too much at once. Things work all right for the film initially, but the ending comes way out of left field and felt forced and absurd at the same time. In the end, I think the film tried to tackle more than it should have.
Characters in Wu Dang don’t fare as badly, especially since there aren’t very many of them to keep track of. Each of the characters has a genuine purpose and it help add realism to the story, even when things get crazy. Everyone has a reason for why they are on the mountain, and it works well. While the story ruined a few tender moments, the characters were relatable enough to have you care about them regardless.
Action/Choreography
Corey Yuen handled the fights in Wu Dang, and they are very different from another film that he recently did with monks in them. Wu Dang has its ups and downs when it comes to the action. There are some “aha” moments sprinkled in, and the overall choreography isn’t really bad. My only real gripe (besides the end fight) is that the action is a bit too floaty for me. Now, some people like fight sequences that are graceful and whatnot, but I felt it was overused and needed to be toned down a bit. Overall, the action is passable and not bad, but the style may be offputting to some.
Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?
Your enjoyment of Wu Dang will be linked to your personal tastes. It feels weird to say this, but the film is almost like a “kid version” of an action film. With weird villains and all too convenient ending events, that’s what it feels like to me. The action is decent and really will be enjoyable for some, but not others. I never regretted watching Wu Dang, and I would recommend it to anyone that in interested. For most, I’d say give this a watch if you some something fun to pass the time.
Try it
Well Go USA is still hard at work getting titles and bringing them to the States in a very efficient manner. They’ve recently revealed that both Wu Dang and Kill ‘em All will be coming to DVD and Blu Ray by the end of the year.
Wu Dang will be released on December 4th, 2012.
I’ve heard mixed things about Wu Dang, but I haven’t seen it myself yet. In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is a trailer for Wu Dang:
Kill ‘em All is a film by the director of Bangkok Adrenaline. It stars Gordon Liu, Johnny Messner, Tim Man, and the late Joe Lewis. It will release on November 6th, 2012.
I believe that this is the last film Liu did before he had his stroke, but I haven’t heard any feedback about this film either. Bangkok Adreanline was a decent film, but nothing amazing. I’ll be looking forward to reviewing this one as well later in the year.
Here is the trailer for Kill ‘em All:
I’m glad that Well Go USA has not rested on its laurels and is still determined to bring action (as well as other genre) films from overseas to the states in a timely manner. Can’t wait to hear what they plan on getting next!
Source: Cityonfire.com
For some reason, the people promoting the Four must really like Crystal Liu. I mean, she’s in practically every picture they release. Not that I’m complaining or anything.
Anyways, here are some images of the Four for you guys to enjoy:
Wu Dang also got some more images released, though they wont’ do much for you if you already didn’t care about the film.
Both of these movies are very different in style, and it will be interesting to see how they do when they are released. Wu Dang already released a final trailer, but I’m still waiting on the Four to do so.
Time to catch up with all of the news that’s been floating around. Let’s start off with a sweet new poster for the Expendables 2:
Twitch says that this is the final poster for the film, and it looks pretty sweet. Hopefully there will be more trailers coming out, as I’d like to know more about the story and who will be fighting who.
Next up is a trailer for Jean Claude Van Damme’s Six Bullets:
While I’m glad that JCVD is getting more jobs recently, this seems like it’s almost the exact same as Taken was. Given the fact that Taken 2 will be out in October and this comes out in August, I’m curious how strong these connections are going to be.
Lastly, a final trailer has been released for Wu Dang:
To be honest, I’m not sold on the film. It still looks too showy to me, and I don’t think the action will be that good. While I’ll try to grab a copy when it come out, I don’t think I’ll be in any rush to do so.
Feel free to let me know what you’d like for the revamp of Martial Arts Movie Junkie. I’ll be sure to take it into consideration.
Trailer for Bangkok Renaissance
The Man with the Iron Fists Wraps Up
New Posters for Black and White
Images for Taken 2, the Tomb, and Jackie’s thoughts on future films
I’ve been curious about Wu Dang ever since I saw the first trailer. Skipping over all of the Vincent Zhao drama, Wu Dang looked like a movie that could be hit or miss for me. I thought there was a lot of wirework going on, and I was right. There is a TON of wirework in this film, judging by the making of video that has been released. Sorry, it’s not subbed.
I know that some people out there like wirework, and I typically don’t mind it. It just seems really excessive to me, like every move is showy and exaggerated (like Fan Siu Wong saving those ducks.) If you like that sort of thing, Wu Dang may be your cup of tea.
I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to see this one anytime soon, but I’ll be sure to check it out to see if it’s what I expect and for review purposes.
Wu Dang comes out on July 17th, so there is still plenty of time for Wu Dang to sway my opinion as well.
It’s been a crazy, crazy week for me. Thankfully, I think those times have come and gone, and I’ll be back to my regular schedule by tomorrow night.
Finishing Blow Episode 49 Part 2
Sorry Jennifer Tse, I left you out.
And it appears true that Jackie is retiring, so I’ll try to get my thoughts all sorted out by tomorrow for an article we can all comment and write on.
Anthony Wong Prepares for his Role as Ip Man
Black and White Part 1 Hits China in June
Wu Dang will be opening debut at the 65th Annual Cannes International Film Festival. I doubt there would be a better time to get promotional work going so people start talking about the movie, right? Which is why I’m puzzled why the promotional posters for Wu Dang look like….this:
To me, this just doesn’t promote anything. First of all, most of the poster is blank, and what is filled is just a rainbow stream across the top. I don’t think this has anything to do with the movie itself (which is a treasure-hunting martial arts film) and looks more like a lazily done project. To be honest, these stills from the film sell the movie better than the posters do.
While I may be coming down pretty hard on Wu Dang, I am still curious to see how it does. You have Vincent Zhao, Min Yang, and Fan Siu-wong in the cast, so it could be pretty good. I’m hoping for a better trailer so that I can see more action, as what they have shown so far is mostly wirework.
With the July 17th release date approaching, I honestly hope that a better poster comes out, cause these are just sad.
